Saturday 21 February 2009

Blashford Lakes

Hi All,

Had yet another great day at Blashford Lakes, just seems to get better and better there.
As usual the bittern was showing very well from the Ivey north hide and I got some photos I’m very pleased with, even if he/she is rather hidden by reeds:I'm not 100% sure, but the bittern appeared to be blowing bubbles to attract fish. I have heard of little egrets doing this but not bittern, was very interesting and here it is in action:Outside the Ivey north hide we had nice views of a buzzard soaring over head:
Again not a great photo but when taking photos I realised there was a peregrine soaring above the buzzard, which can be seen in the photo:From the woodland hide our winter birds are showing signs of spring with one stunning male redpoll amongst the 15+ that were there.Not a great photo but you can see how red he is, also that he is rung:Also a lovely male Brambling:Siskin:Saw two kingfishers from the other hide near the woodland one. Managed a distant shot:Highlight here was watching a cormorant trying, and after a while succeeding, to eat a rather large pike. For a while we wondered who had caught who:

Black necked grebes showed well but distantly and the bewick's were at the meadows once more. Rebekah saw her first bittern which was a bogy bird, and after I had been tempting fate about seeing them I was relieved aswel :-).

Dan

3 comments:

Steve Lavington said...

Bob C explained the behaviour to me the other week - they stick their beak in one way, move it from side to side and extend the neck fully when a meal gets close, as opposed to the way a heron strikes from above the water. Great shots btw.

Daniel Trim said...

Ahh yeah, it was turning from side to side so probably what it was doing.
Cheers,

Dan

Anonymous said...

Excellent capture here! I initially noticed your "cormorant vs pike" photo. So could the bird really gulp that entire thing down okay?? Does the pike put up a good fight, if eaten, does it get swallowed down wriggling the whole way as well?!

-Kyle

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